Grain-drier.



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[ml aria)" M] .PATENTED JUNE 2, 190a. P. J. THULL.

GRAIN DRIER.

APPLICATION TILED MAY 27,1907- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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PARBRTBDIJUNR 2, 1908. r; 'J. THUL'L. GRAIN DRIER.

APPILIOATION FILED MAY 27, 1907.

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FRANK J. THULL, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

GRAIN-DRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1908.

Application filed May 27, 1907. Serial No. 375,897.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. THULL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Driers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to .which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its especial object to provide an improved graindrier, and to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinationsof devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevationand partly in vertical section taken through the machine on the line r90 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line310 x of Fig. 1, some parts being broken away; and Fig.3 is a verticalsection taken transversely through the machine on the line 00 x of Fig.1, some parts being broken away.

The numeral 1 indicates a casing which, as shown, is provided with twoair discharge stacks 2. -Mounted to rotate within this casing 1 is apair of perforate or reticulate reversely inclined rotary drums orcylinders 3. Preferably, these drums 3 are stiffened longitudinally byangle iron ribs 4 which at their ends are rigidly secured to stifi metalrings 5 and 6. The rings 5 are externally grooved to receive the upperedges of sup porting rollers 7 that are suitably journaled in bearings 8supported from the casing 1. These rollers 7 thus rotatively support thereceiving end of the upper drum 3 and the delivery end of the lower drum3. The rings 6 which are at the delivery end of the upper drum and atthe receiving end of the lower drum are connected to the radial arms ofhubs 9, which hubs are rigidly secured to short shafts 10 journaled insuitable bearings 11 on the casing 1. p The upper shaft 10, therefore,supports the delivery end of the upper drum, while the lower shaft 10supports the receiving end of the lower drum. On the outer ends of theshafts 10 are worm gears 12 that mesh with a common interme diate wormor screw 13, which worm, as

shown,'is mounted in a suitable bearing 14 on the case 1 and isconnected to rotate with a driving pulley 15.

The grain to be dried is delivered into a a the lower end of which opensinto the upper or receiving end of the lower drum 3. The graindischarged from the lower end of the lower drum 3 is delivered into atransversely extended trough 20 in which works a power driven spiralconveyer 21. Working longitudinally of the casing 1 and coveringapproximately the entire bottom thereof is an endless convcyer belt 22which, as shown, is mounted to run over sprocket-equipped shafts 23 and24, one of which is adapted to be power driven. driven in the directionof the arrow marked adjacent thereto on Fig. l, and it is arranged todeliver into a depending discharge spout 25 the dust and all other finematerial blown from the grain through the peripheral openings or meshesof the drums 3, and precipitated within the casing.

The hot air from a blast furnace of any suitable construction isconveyed by a hot blast pipe 26 to a pair of branch pipes 27, one ofwhich opens into the upper drum 3, and the other of which opens into thelower drum 3. Those portions of the hot air pipes 27 that are withinsaid drums are provided with a multiplicity of perforations for thedischarge of air, and they are tapered from the left hand ends towardthe right hand. ends of the said drums, directions being taken withrespect to Fig. 1. This taper of the perforated air discharge pipestoward the ends of the drums that are remote from the ends through whichthey enter, is because of the fact that the column of air containedwithin the said erforated pipes is necessarily reduced in t e directionindicated. This taper of the pipes, therefore, compensates for thediminishing amount of air and tends to maintain a constant pressurethroughout the said perforated pipe sections. The small inner Theconveyer belt 22 is ends of said perforated pipe sections 27 areconnected to the inner ends of the shafts 10 by swivel couplings 28 and,hence, are in part supported by said. shafts, and at the same time theshafts are permitted to freely rotate while the said pipe sections 27remain stationary.

Under rotation of the perforated drums 3, the grain introduced into thesame will be carried upward by the lifting flights afforded by the anglestrips 4 and will be precipitated, thereby maintaining a constant showerof grain within the said drums which are sub jected to the hot, dryblast of air from the perforated pipes 27. Also in this connection, thegrain will be continually worked toward the lower ends of the saiddrums. All fine materials, such as dust or fuzz removed from the grainby the action of the air blast and attrition will be blown through themeshes or openings of the said drum and, as already indicated, will fallto the bottom of the casing and be carried off therefrom by the conveyer22 and spout 25, while the dry and clean grain will be carried from thecasing by the spiral conveyer 21.

It is, of course, evident, that the apparatus, while above referred toas a grain drier may, nevertheless, be used as a steamer, in which casesteam may be introduced into the perforated drums through the pipes 27.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a casing and a conveyer in the bottom of saidcasing for carrying away the material removed from the stock, ofaperforated drum rotatively mounted within said casing and adapted toreceive the grain at one end and to discharge the same at the other end,and a blast pipe terminating in a perforated section located Within saiddrum, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a casing having an air discharge stack at itsupper portion and a conveyer at its lower portion, of a pair ofreversely inclined perforate rotary drums,

the upper drum being arranged to discharge.

into the lower drum, and a blast pipe having perforated branchesextended axially into said two rotary drums, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a casing having an endless conveyer in itsbottom for carrying away the material removed from the stock, and an airdischarge stack at its upper portion, of a perforate inclined drum,rotatively mounted within said casing and adapted to receive grain atone end and discharge the same at its other end, said drum havinginternal lifting flights, and a blast pipe terminating in a perforatedsection located within said drum and extending axially thereof,substantially as described.

4. The combination With a casing, of a perforate inclined drum withinsaid casing, adapted to receive grain at one end and dis charge the sameat its other end, anti-friction devices engaging with the exteriorportion of the upper end of said drum, to rotatively support the upperend of said drum, a shaft mounted on said casing and connected to thelower end of said drum for supporting and rotating the same, and a blastpipe terminating in a perforated section extending axially through saiddrum and connected to the inner end of said shaft by a swivel coupling,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK J. THULL. Witnesses H. D. KILGORE, F. D. MERCHANT.

